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Are video games really that bad?

Discussion in 'Off-topic Discussion' started by Deleted Account, Jan 9, 2018.

Are games bad?

  1. Yes

    4 vote(s)
    10.3%
  2. No

    8 vote(s)
    20.5%
  3. It depends

    27 vote(s)
    69.2%
  1. ..Anna..

    ..Anna.. Fapstronaut

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    Ah, really clever decision at age of 15! Would be better if parents would forbid video games to everyone who reaches 15 years :D
     
    pezzer and Deleted Account like this.
  2. That's nothing, I started when I was like 5 or 6, in the 3D0 and Atari days.
     
    pezzer likes this.
  3. pezzer

    pezzer Fapstronaut

    yeah! i was just so fed up with just staying inside all the time, and it's true at least selling it allowed me to open up and i go outside with friends wayyy more often than i ever used to. It was also the fact of seeing all these people from school on Instagram living such great ways of life, i kinda wanted that for me to! some excitement in life, idk
     
    ..Anna.. likes this.
  4. ..Anna..

    ..Anna.. Fapstronaut

    77
    111
    33
    Wish you to keep that motivation and not fall back on later life :)
     
  5. I don't think they are bad.They're awesome.I never get addicted to video-games.It helps me to release stress and it takes me into another world.
     
    Deleted Account likes this.
  6. The problem is not video games. The problem starts when you waste all your time on it. The problem is in letting you consume entirely by video games. I played with video games too... but when I have free time, I invest in important things that are pending, or something productive or useful. Of course, with the passage of time, video games naturally start to bore you, or you start paying more attention to more productive things.

    If you really do not have anything else to do, I do not see why it should be wrong to play about 20, or 30 minutes. Overall, it is not very different from watching television, listening to music or watching a movie at the cinema.
     
    Deleted Account likes this.
  7. Video games, just like porn, gambling, stimulants (and most other drugs) etc all have a similar issue in common: they can cause large amounts of dopamine release, which can lead to down-regulation of your dopamine receptors in response. Which is likely where the negatives of their use like low energy, depression, anxiety, decreased motivation, etc can come from.

    However, what people typically fail to consider is that this depends greatly on game design.

    The perfect example of a game that produces that crazy dopamine feedback loop is any of those simplistic "clicker" games, where you just click something over and over, and get items and upgrades and levels as you progress. Each of those little dings: a new item, a new level, etc causes a fresh flood of dopamine. All you have to do is keep clicking to get more dopamine. So despite the fact that said games have literally no gameplay other than.. clicking.. millions of people will spend hours glued to the game each day. Just like the rat in the cage that keeps pulling the lever that gives them a hit of some dopaminergic stimulant, it's the same effect.

    Games like that I would compare to things like porn and edging, in that they have a significant dopaminergic effect, and IMO are always unhealthy, even in moderation - though just like porn or edging, it's ultimately an individual's choice as to whether the harm is worth what they get out of the experience.

    Those Facebook minigames and the like are usually similar to the above examples.

    MMORPGs are a less extreme example of this, and need to definitely be kept in moderation. Sure, they're not as bad as porn, but people also typically play them for a lot longer than they watch porn, so the effect can be just as bad. Someone who watches 20 minutes of porn a day, and someone who plays endless hours of their favourite MMORPG a day, are probably in a similar boat with regards to issues with their dopaminergic system, despite MMORPGs not being as bad, simply because of how long they spend on them. However, when kept in moderation, I don't think they're a problem.

    Slower paced games like old-school story-focused RPGs, city builders, etc will produce less of a reward response, and so are harder to overdo.

    So it depends VERY much on the game in question. The more level ups, grinding, rewards, flashy items, bonuses, things popping up on screen, etc == the more your own reward system (dopamine etc) will be firing off in response, and so the more likely it is to cause negative effects. The less of these a game has, the more you can play it without any issues.

    This isn't isolated to games either. Social media and the internet are ripe with this too. Every like, retweet, comment, etc, is yet more dopamine. In general, for best results, don't spend all day in front of your computer, or if you can't help it, take breaks every so often to reap similar benefits to a NoFap streak. If playing video games, spend more of the time playing slower-paced games with less grind and more story, and keep those grindy level-up games in moderation.

    Unlike some of the other sources of huge dopamine hits, video games and the internet can actually be useful and rewarding in their own ways. So you probably don't need to quit either of them. Just keep them in moderation, take breaks when you can, and avoid the really addictive games like the clicker games etc as those will cause problems.
     
  8. I do agree with game design, because for me I have to stay away from things like Overwatch and those bloody loot boxes. I easily get wrapped up in needing another one because I didn't get what I wanted, and honestly I like even less how the loot boxes are "free" in there as well as it encourages me to keep playing. This Is my personal opinion and some people don't have any problems, but unfortunately I get swept up in gimmicky marketing tricks like that.

    The games that are geared obviously for the company to make money I avoid, so my game library is diverse. lol
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 17, 2018
    JesusGreen likes this.
  9. I couldn't agree more!

    I played a Facebook game, I spent almost one month in that garbage, I knew I was addicted to it and needed to stop, with a huge effort I could leave (and because was too much pay to win). Now I know that I can't give any chance to mmorpg and pointless grinding games.
     
    JesusGreen likes this.

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